The US government on Tuesday sanctioned an armed group accused of illicit trading in minerals in eastern Congo as Washington tries to spearhead peace efforts there while pushing for US access to the region’s minerals.
A senior US government official who spoke on condition of anonymity ahead of the formal announcement said the State and Treasury departments are sanctioning the CODECO armed group, which controlled the key coltan mining site of Rubaya from 2022 to early 2024.
“During this period, CODECO generated revenue by overseeing mining operations, collecting illegal fees and taxes for miners and engaging in mineral smuggling. It also imposed forced labour and executed civilians in mining areas under its control,” the official said in Washington.
The US is also sanctioning the Congolese mining company CDMC, saying it sold minerals which were sourced and smuggled from mines near Rubaya, and two Hong Kong exporters, East Rise and Star Dragon, that purchased minerals from the mining area.
The State Department said it is freezing the assets of the armed group and companies in the US or under US control and banning all transactions with them.
Rubaya is currently under the control of the M23 rebel group, which is already targeted by US sanctions.
The mining site lies in the heart of eastern Congo, a mineral-rich part of the Central African nation, which for decades has been ripped apart by violence from government forces and different armed groups, including the Rwanda-backed M23, whose recent resurgence has escalated the conflict, worsening an already acute humanitarian crisis.
In June, Congo and Rwanda signed a peace deal facilitated by the US to help end the conflict while helping the US government and American companies gain access to critical minerals in the region.
Congo and the M23 rebels have also agreed to sign a permanent peace deal by August 18, but renewed fighting has threatened this effort.
On Tuesday, Congo and M23 both accused each other of violating the agreement by attacking each other’s forces.
